Poly Wastes Little Time in Victory

What is that they say about speed?

The Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits raced past Mater Dei and killed the Monarchs’ 27-game winning streak Saturday in the Southern Section Division I championship football game at the Coliseum.

Poly’s skill position players showed quickness, elusiveness and explosiveness to produce 28 points and a three-point victory over top-seeded Mater Dei, ranked second in the nation by USA Today.

“They were definitely the fastest team we’ve played,” Mater Dei defensive coordinator Eric Johnson said. “They just got the big plays against us.”

Poly running back Herman Ho-Ching was the biggest factor, scoring three touchdowns and turning two short screen passes into scoring plays of 66 and 32 yards.

And it wasn’t as if the Jackrabbits were faking out a bunch of slouches.

Ho-Ching’s first touchdown gave the Jackrabbits some confidence early, after Mater Dei’s John Leonard pinned Poly back at its two yard line following a 34-yard punt.

First, Kareem Kelly beat Mater Dei’s Joey Boese, who has orally committed to Wisconsin, on a slant pattern, breaking his tackle on the way to a 24-yard gain. Then, Ho-Ching took a swing pass in the right flat, stopped quickly and sidestepped two tacklers, before racing up the right sideline for a 66-yard score.

Ho-Ching, who also scored on a six-yard run, broke four tackles and turned another short pass into a 32-yard scoring play to give Poly the lead, 21-17, just 1 minute 49 seconds into the third quarter.

“We were concerned about their running game,” Johnson said, and the Monarchs did limit the Jackrabbits to 69 yards rushing in 31 carries.

But Poly burned Mater Dei with some big pass plays.

Junior quarterback Chris Lewis put Poly in control on its next possession, connecting with Andre Cyrus for a 76-yard touchdown pass to make it, 28-17, with 8:28 remaining in the third quarter.

Cyrus raced up the right sideline past strong safety Matt Grootegoed and free safety Erwin Ubay before diving into the end zone from the two.

Even when the Monarchs put pressure on the Jackrabbits, they were able to prevent Mater Dei from making the big play. Late in the third quarter, Lewis watched Mater Dei linebacker Kevin Mitchell closing in for a sure sack, but he quickly shuffled to his left and threw off his back foot for an incomplete pass to prevent a big loss.